Timer for valves



C. G. KRONMILLER.

TIMER FOR VALVES. APPLICATION FILED AUG-3. 1921,

a Dwarf.

C. G. KRONMILLER. TIMER FOR VALVES. APPLICATION FILED was, 1921.

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Patented Nov. 7 1922.

UNITED STATES 1,434,827 PATENT OFFICE.

CARL G. KRONMILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TROY LAUNDRY MACHIN- ERY CO. LTD., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TIMER FOR VALVES.

Application filed August 3, 1921.

1.0 valve with relation to some other action re-' lied upon to put the timer into operation. The objects of the invention, in addition to providing a simple, efiicient, and reliable construction of automatic timer for valves, are to adapt the same for convenient application to an existing driven shaft or other element of an apparatus with which the valve is to be associated in order that the timer will be set in motion and caused to actuate the valve after a predetermined lapse of time; also to provide means whereby the timer may be readily set to vary the time that must elapse before the valve is operated; to provide means whereby this variation in the timing of the valve will re sultautomatically from the operation of a door or other movable element of the apparatus with which the valve is associated; and to provide a construction of timing element which may be manipulated by hand to actuate the valve instantly, or to modify the time element of the operation.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, the preferred embodiment there of is shown in the accompanying drawings. This preferred embodiment will be described in detail, but it is to be understood that the specific construction and arrangement of the elements which enter into the organization are to be construed as merely illustrations of the operative principles of the device, the appended claims rather than the detailed description being understood to define the S00 e of the invention.

In said rawings- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to control the steam inlet valve of a garment drying machine, and having connections whereby it is actuated by the revolving trunnion of such a machine and controlled by the opening and closing of a door thereof; the casing of the timing mechanism being broken away to disclose parts thereof.

Figure 2 is a side view of parts'shown in Serial No. 489,655.

Figure 1, the casing being in vertical section.

1 represents a garment drying machine, such, for instance, as that commonly used in the process of dry cleaning; 2 represents the door which is hinged at 3 and adapted to be opened and closed in the loading and unloading of the machine with garments to be dried; 4 represents one of the trunnions Whichrevolves in the drying operation, for instance, the trunnion of a rotating cylinder which is generally provided in machines of this type; and 5 represents a valve which controls a pipe 6 that supplies a fluid to the cleaner, for instance, steam which is commonly introduced during the first few minutes of the drying process in order to reduce the danger of fire due to the highly combustible nature of the vapor that is being driven off from the goods and its ignition by static electricity, and to develop a softer condition in the material treated, and to eliminate lint.

In order to automatically 0 en the valve 5 by the closing of the door 0 the machine, which is a step preliminary to starting the operation of the machine, valve stem 7 is connected with a controller in the form of a lever 8, fulcrumel at 9, and having its free end 10 in position to coact with the displacing element which is preferably in the form of a cam 11 having a recess 12, and so designed that it permits the valve to close whenever its said recess coincides with the end 10 of the lever, but opens said valve when rotated to remove its recess from the lever and holds the valve open so long as any other portion of its periphery is in contact with the lever. While the rotary cam form of displacer is preferred for this purpose, any other design of displacing element might be employed which is adapted by movement relatively to the valve or its controller to assume two different relations, one of which insures opening of the valve and the other closing of the valve.

Displacer 11 is mounted through the medium of anarbor or shaft 13 which is freely rotatable in its bearings 14, 14* carried by the casing 14, and said displacer may be moved at will through the medium of a hand wheel 15 for voluntarily controlling the valve independently of its timing mechanism, to open the valve and, by determining the arc of movement imparted to the displacenregulate the are through which the displa'cer must rotate and therefore the time that must elapse before recess 12 again coincides with lever 8 and permits the valve to close. I placer 11 and time the valve, arbor 18 also carries a ratchet wheel 16 having an actuating paw 17 mounted upon lever18 which is tulcrumed at 19 andreceives oscillating; movement through the medium of a link 20 havin n'vcranl: pin connection at 21 with" the rotating trunnion 4 so that as the trunnion 4- rotatesand the lever 1-8 oscillates the ratchet 16,- and through it the cam-like dis-- placer 11, will be rotated untilthe recess 12 reaches a position toadmit the end 10 ot' the lever 8 and permit the valve,5 to close. To vary the throw imparted to lever 18 by link 20, the latter is adapted to enter either ofaplurality of openings 18, 18 in' the lever at diiterent distances from its center of oscillationv19, thereby causing the throw of the crank pin 21 to be translated into-a short throw of the: pawl 17 when the link 20 is in opening; 18%and a greater throw to said pawl. when the link is in'the opening 18 Displacer 11 imparts positive throw to the lever 8 in one direction only, said lever being moved in the opposite direction by a spring-'22.

In order to arrest the rotation of displacer 11. when lever ,8 drops into notch 12., pawl 17 is connected by throwoutllink 523 with lever 8 tor instance, through means ot a rigid arm '24- or extension on said lever so that whenever the displacer permits the lever to close the valve, pawl 17will be thrown out of engagement with ratchet 16, and continued oscillation of the arm 18 during the subsequent rotation of the drying cylinder will have no eiiect uponthe steam valve. 7

From the foregoing" description it will be seen that whenever it is desired to-admit steam or other fluid to the apparatus for a time bearin n a definite relation to the duration of operation oi the apparatus-it simply necessary to impart an initial rotation tothedisplacer 11. suflicient to throw the lever 8 and open valve 5 when 11116013- eration of the apparatus will enter into control of the displacer, and afteraseries of step by step movements imparted thereto will bring the parts intoposition which permits the valve to close. By varying theinitial movement of displacer ll that is to say.

by rotating it through a greater orless number of degrees, the number of impulsesfrom the revolving trunnion 1. requiredto brine; the displacer to valve closing position will be determined. Thus the time during whichv fluid will be supplied to the apparatus may be regulated at will.

In order to set the timing deviceiinto operation automatically by the performance 'To automatically revolve dis-' '26 swingingfreely upon the arbor 13 with a spring 27 for drawlng the pawl normallv to the ratchet wheel 16, and a connecting rod 28 which is secured by bracket29 to some part of the door areferably its hinge,

so that whenever the door 2- .is opened, pawl. 25 will be drawnbackwardover the surtaceofv theratchet 16, and when the door is closed said pawl will impart positive ro tation-to ratchet 16- and impart the aforesaid initial movement to displacer11 which opens the valve and releases the pawl 17 of the automaticactuator. Connecting! rod 28 preferably has lost motion connection with door 2 tl'1roughithe medium 01 the link 30, so that'the range of movement imparted to pawl 25 will be very much; less than that imparted to the door; and in order that the throw imparted to the pawl 25 and there- 'forethe initial movement of displacer 11 and consequent time that will elapse before closing the valve may be regulated at will link -30ahas; an abutmentscrew 31 that receives the connecting pin 32 of the bracket 29 at various points in the movement of the door determined by the position-of the abutment screw. Thus the opening and closingof the door will not only open the valve and set the valve timer into operationeach time the machine 1s closed foroperation but itwill increase the throw-of the pawl 25 and consequently the initial movement of displacer 1L andshorten the time required for return of the recess 12 to releasing position it the screw 31 be turned down toa point where it encounters the pin sooner in the movement of the door 2: and it will shorten the throw of the pawl 25 decrease the initial throw of disp acer 11, and consequently v requirea greater length of time to teed the vment before reaching said limit a stenbv step advancingv means-for moving said caiii to its said limit, and means for initially setting said cam through any desired por-' tion of its said limit and releasing it to the action of said advancing means.

2. In a valve timing device, a rota cam having a form at a point in its revo ution which permits a valve to assume one position and constructed through a portion of its surface extending from said point to force another position of the valve, means for initially rotating said cam at will through an arc of its revolution, and advancing means automaticvally assuming control of said cam when so initially set.

3. In an automatic timing device for valves the combination of a movable cam constructed to hold the valve in one position throughout its movement and to cause another position of the valve at the limit of said movement, a ratchet adapted to develop said movement ste by step, means adapted to impart an initial movement to the cam independently of its ratchet, and means displacing said ratchet from operative position as the cam reaches its limit oi movement.

4. In a valve timing device, a valve controller, a cam actuating said controller, a ratchet for imparting movement to said cam, and a connection between said controller and said ratchet whereby the ratchet is rendered inoperative when the controller assumes the position caused by the cam.

5. In a valve timing device, a valve controller. a cam actuating said controller, a

ratchet for imparting movement to said cam a connection between said controller and said ratchet whereby the ratchet is rendered inoperative when the controller assumcs the position caused by the cam, and means imparting an initial movement to said cam which displaces the controller and restores the ratchet to operation.

6. In a valve timing device, the combination of a controller, a rotary cam coacting with said controller to cause it to assume one position by coaction with one point on between said controller and said whereby the latter is thrown into and out of operation by theirespective positions of the controller.

'7. In a valve timing device, a controller, a displacer having a movement during which it imparts one position to the controller and at the limit of which it imparts another position thereto, means for graduall advancing the displacer to its said limit, an apparatus served by the valve to be controlled, and a part moving in the function of the apparatus having a connection through which it imparts an initial movement to the displacer.

8. In a valve timing device, a controller, a displacer having a movement during which it imparts one position to the controller and at the limit of which it imparts another position thereto, means for gradually advancing the displacer to its said limit, an apparatus served by the valve to be controlled, and a part moving in the functioning of the apparatus having a connection through which it imparts an initial movement to the displacer; said connection being variable to change the extent of initial movement imparted.

9. In an apparatus having a valve, timing mechanism for said valve comprising a controller, a movable displacer for said controller adapted to develop one position of the valve when at the limit of its movement, and another position of the valve while moving to said limit an advancin means for moving said disp acer to its sai limit but adapted to be thrown out of action when the displacer reaches said limit and thrown into action when the displacer leaves said limit, and a part moving in the functioning of the apparatus havin a connection with said displacer throug which it imparts a portion of the movement thereof toward its said limit and initiates the action of the advancin means.

Siygned at Chicago, linois, this th day at uly, 1921.

CARL G. KRONMILLER.

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